A Dallas County prosecutor and a Coppell defense attorney have been appointed as felony court judges by Gov. Greg Abbott.

Stephanie Fargo is currently the chief of the family violence division in the Dallas County district attorney's office. Her appointment to Criminal District Court 7 was announced Wednesday.

Abbott also appointed Livia Liu Francis of Coppell to the 283rd District Court. Francis was previously chief of the misdemeanor division of the Dallas County district attorney's office.

Both newly appointed judges will oversee felony criminal cases until Dec. 31, 2018, after the general election.

Francis said she plans to run in the election. She previously served as judge in CDC 7 in 2005 before Democrats won a majority of the judicial benches. Francis has worked as a defense attorney since 2010.

She said that working as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney has "given me a different perspective" since she last served as a judge.

Francis has to close her private practice before she's sworn in later this month. Fargo will be sworn in Monday.

Dallas County Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Fargo waits for a February hearing for former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel to start.

(Andy Jacobsohn/Staff Photographer)

Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson, who was appointed by Abbott last year, said Fargo's appointment is "bittersweet."

Fargo will replace Elizabeth Davis Frizell who resigned in March after announcing she will run for district attorney. And Francis will replace Rick Magnis, who retired in May after a decade on the bench.